tenacious

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: te=na=cious

CIDE DICTIONARY

tenacious, a. [L. tenax, -acis, from tenere to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Tenace.].

•  Holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession; as, men tenacious of their just rights.  [1913 Webster]
•  Apt to retain; retentive; as, a tenacious memory.  [1913 Webster]
•  Having parts apt to adhere to each other; cohesive; tough; as, steel is a tenacious metal; tar is more tenacious than oil.  Sir I. Newton.  [1913 Webster]
•  Apt to adhere to another substance; glutinous; viscous; sticking; adhesive.  Cowper.  [1913 Webster]
•  Niggardly; closefisted; miserly.  Ainsworth.  [1913 Webster]
•  Holding stoutly to one's opinion or purpose; obstinate; stubborn.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tenacious, adj.
1 (often foll. by of) keeping a firm hold of property, principles, life, etc.; not readily relinquishing.
2 (of memory) retentive.
3 holding fast.
4 strongly cohesive.
5 persistent, resolute.
6 adhesive, sticky.

Derivative

tenaciously adv. tenaciousness n. tenacity n.

Etymology

L tenax -acis f. tenere hold

THESAURUS

tenacious

adamant, adherent, adhesive, amylaceous, assiduous, balking, balky, bigoted, bound, bound and determined, bulldogged, bulldoggish, bulldoggy, bulletheaded, bullheaded, cartilaginous, case-hardened, chewy, clabbered, clammy, clinging, clingy, clotted, coagulated, cohesive, committed, constant, continuing, coriaceous, curdled, decided, decisive, dedicated, definite, determined, devoted, diligent, dogged, dogmatic, doughy, durable, earnest, enduring, faithful, fanatic, fibrous, firm, fixed, game, gamy, gaumy, gelatinous, glairy, gluelike, gluey, glutenous, glutinose, glutinous, good, gooey, grasping, gripping, gristly, gritty, grumous, gumbo, gumbolike, gumlike, gummous, gummy, gutsy, gutty, hard, hardheaded, hardy, headstrong, heavy, holding, immovable, immutable, inalterable, indefatigable, indomitable, industrious, inflexible, insistent, inspissated, intolerant, intransigent, invincible, jelled, jellied, jellylike, keeping, lasting, leatherlike, leathery, loyal, maintaining, mettlesome, mucilaginous, mulish, nervy, never-tiring, obdurate, obstinate, opinionated, overzealous, pasty, patient, patient as Job, permanent, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, pigheaded, plodding, plucky, plugging, preoccupied, purposeful, rapt, red-blooded, refractory, relentless, resistant, resolute, resolved, restive, retaining, retentive, rigid, ropy, secure, sedulous, self-adhesive, self-willed, serious, set, sincere, sinewy, single-minded, slabby, sleepless, slimy, slithery, slogging, spirited, spiritful, spunky, stable, stalwart, starchy, staunch, steadfast, steady, stickable, sticky, stiff, stiff-necked, stodgy, stout, stringy, strong, strong-minded, strong-willed, strongheaded, stubborn, sturdy, sulky, sullen, syrupy, tacky, thick, thickened, tight, tireless, tough, tough as leather, tremelloid, tremellose, true, unabating, uncompromising, unconquerable, uncooperative, undaunted, undiscouraged, undrooping, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unflinching, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unnodding, unregenerate, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unremitting, unshakable, unshakeable, unshaken, unsleeping, unswerving, untiring, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, unyielding, utterly attentive, vigorous, viscid, viscose, viscous, weariless, wholehearted, willful, wiry

ROGET THESAURUS

tenacious

Obstinacy

N obstinacy, obstinateness, obstinacy, tenacity, cussedness, perseverance, immovability, old school, inflexibility, obduracy, obduration, dogged resolution, resolution, ruling passion, blind side, self-will, contumacy, perversity, pervicacy, pervicacity, indocility, bigotry, intolerance, dogmatism, opiniatry, opiniativeness, fixed idea, fanaticism, zealotry, infatuation, monomania, opinionatedness opinionativeness, mule, opinionist, opinionatist, opiniator, opinator, stickler, dogmatist, bigot, zealot, enthusiast, fanatic, obstinate, tenacious, stubborn, obdurate, casehardened, inflexible, balky, immovable, unshakable, not to be moved, inert, unchangeable, inexorable, mulish, obstinate as a mule, pig-headed, dogged, sullen, sulky, unmoved, uninfluenced unaffected, willful, self-willed, perverse, resty, restive, restiff, pervicacious, wayward, refractory, unruly, heady, headstrong, entete, contumacious, crossgrained, arbitrary, dogmatic, positive, bigoted, prejudiced, creed- bound, prepossessed, infatuated, stiff-backed, stiff necked, stiff hearted, hard-mouthed, hidebound, unyielding, impervious, impracticable, inpersuasible, unpersuadable, intractable, untractable, incorrigible, deaf to advice, impervious to reason, crotchety, obstinately, non possumus, no surrender, ils n'ont rien appris ne rien oublie.

Coherence

N coherence, adherence, adhesion, adhesiveness, concretion accretion, conglutination, agglutination, agglomeration, aggregation, consolidation, set, cementation, sticking, soldering, connection, dependence, tenacity, toughness, stickiness, inseparability, inseparableness, bur, remora, conglomerate, concrete, cohesive, adhesive, adhering, cohering, tenacious, tough, sticky, united, unseparated, unsessile, inseparable, inextricable, infrangible, compact.

Retention

N retention, retaining, keep, detention, custody, tenacity, firm hold, grasp, gripe, grip, iron grip, fangs, teeth, claws, talons, nail, unguis, hook, tentacle, tenaculum, bond, clutches, tongs, forceps, pincers, nippers, pliers, vice, paw, hand, finger, wrist, fist, neaf, neif, bird in hand, captive, retaining, retentive, tenacious, unforfeited, undeprived, undisposed, uncommunicated, incommunicable, inalienable, in mortmain, in strict settlement, uti possidetis.

Tenacity

N tenacity, toughness, strength, (cohesion), grip, grasp, stickiness, (cohesion), sequacity, stubbornness (obstinacy), glue, cement, glutinousness, sequaciousness, viscidity, (semiliquidity), leather, white leather, whitleather, gristle, cartilage, unbreakability, tensile strength, tenacious, tough, strong, resisting, sequacious, stringy, gristly cartilaginous, leathery, coriaceous, tough as whitleather, stubborn, unbreakable, indivisible, atomic.